The present invention relates to swim fins, and more particularly to a swim fin assembly in which a stepping type motion employing alternating leg thrusts is translated into a side-to-side movement of a vertically oriented fin to effect propulsion of the swimmer.
Swim fins are used by swimmers to increase the amount of water moved by the. wearer""s feet to effect an increase in his or her speed without increasing their rate of kick. Swim fins have been designed for use with one of three types of kicking motion: the xe2x80x9cscissors-kickxe2x80x9d; the xe2x80x9cdolphin-kickxe2x80x9d; and the xe2x80x9cshark-tailxe2x80x9d kick. The scissors-kick method, which is the most common, requires the swimmer to move his or her legs back and forth in a scissors-like kicking motion to move through the water. The scissors-kick method is the foot and leg motion used in the conventional swimming stroke known as the xe2x80x9cAustralian Crawl.xe2x80x9d The swim fin used with the scissors-kick is generally of the conventional type in which the plane of each fin is essentially parallel to the plane of the soles of the feet and typically, the swimmer wears a separate fin on each foot. The scissors-kick is the most popular kicking stroke because it is simple to learn and somewhat intuitive. The dolphin-kick requires a swimmer to undulate his or her body to move both feet up and down at the same time, thus moving the fins up and down like the tail of a dolphin. Conventional fins can be used when swimming with a dolphin-kick although a line of extra wide fins called xe2x80x9cmonofinsxe2x80x9d into which both feet are inserted has been developed for use with a dolphin-kick. In the monofin, the fin is essentially parallel to the soles of the user""s feet as in a conventional swim fin. The shark-tail method-differs from the dolphin-tail kick in that the swimmer""s feet move in unison from side-to-side rather than up and down. This is a very unnatural swimming stroke for humans as the swimmer must undulate his or her body using their waist muscles to move both their feet from side-to-side, like the tail fin of a fish or shark. An example of a paddle and swim fin combination adapted for use with such a stroke is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,503.
Conventional swim fins used with the scissors-kick require the swimmer to move their legs back and forth in a scissors-like motion to cause the fins to move up and down. While such fins are very popular, a scissor-kick movement utilizes relatively weak leg muscles and tends to strain the swimmer""s ankles. Those novel swim fin arrangements that require swimmers to put both feet into a single fin and undulate their body to move the fin up and down (like a dolphin) or side-to-side (like shark), are less efficient, less powerful and more tiring than the scissors-kick employing standard swim fins. Thus, swim fins particularly adapted for such kicking motions have not proved to be commercially successful. It would be desirable if a swim fin assembly could be provided that allowed swimmers to use their stronger leg muscles to apply a greater force against the water than is applied with any of the above described devices, including conventional swim fins. Such a swim fin assembly would allow the swimmer to move significantly faster, more efficiently and more comfortably. It would also allow scuba divers to move more effortlessly through the water and thereby increase their dive time. Such a device is provided by the present invention.
Briefly, the present invention comprises a swim fin assembly of a generally T-shaped configuration including a flexible fin defining the leg of the T and an elongated foot support bar traversing and being operatively connected to the fin in a rigid securement so as to define the bar of the T. A pair of foot receiving members are pivotally mounted on the foot support bar proximate the extended ends of the bar such that upon securing one""s feet in the foot receiving members the fin is disposed in a substantially perpendicular orientation with respect to the wearer""s feet such that upon exerting a stepping-type motion employing alternating leg thrusts in a prone position in a body of water, the resulting reciprocal pivotal movement of the foot support bar about its midpoint causes the vertically oriented fin to move from side-to-side and propel the wearer through the water.
To enhance the effectiveness of the fin in the movement of water and thus the efficiency of the swim fin assembly, the fin is more rigid at its forward end proximate the rigid support member and increases in flexibility toward its rearward end. The fin also is more rigid adjacent its upper and lower edges and increases in flexibility towards the center of the fin between said edges. So configured, the moving fin channels water from front to rear and from the upper and lower edges towards a central portion of the fin, reducing spillover about the upper and lower edges thereof so as to increase the contact time of the moving water with the fin and thereby enhance the effectiveness of the movement of the fin and the performance provided thereby.
It is the principle object of the present invention to provide an improved swim fin assembly for propelling a swimmer through the water.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a swim fin assembly which allows swimmers to use their stronger leg muscles to apply greater force against the water than is applied with conventional swim fins.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved swim fin assembly in which the swimmer can move faster, more efficiently and with less strain on their ankles than with conventional swim fins.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a swim fin assembly in which the fin is configured to effectively channel water from front to rear with minimal spillover at the top and bottom to maximize water contact time with the fin during use.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a swim fin assembly which is of simple construction and economical to manufacture.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.